Tag Archives: vaginal exam

Recently an ICAN mom had a successful hospital VBAC! It sounded like quite a battle, but she succeeded. Good for her! Good for her baby! I am so proud of this mom.

She suffered a post-partum hemorrhage which leaves me puzzled, alarmed, and angry. Evidently this doctor manually checked her uterine scar. This means that he reached into her uterus (which had been quite busy contracting and bleeding during labor and delivery) to check the scar FROM THE INSIDE. Now, that’s got to hurt.

So here are some of my questions:

Was the hemorrhage caused by the manual exam?

Did this doctor do this on purpose to hurt the mother?

Wouldn’t an exam such as this, and after the uterine muscles are tired and blood vessels are swollen, possibly introduce pathogens into the woman’s body that could affect her health and the health of her nursling?

Shouldn’t this doctor be charged with assault and stripped of his privileges if he is found guilty of patient abuse?